We have booked our trip from the UK to Bangkok in April. We are spending some time in Bangkok itself and also in the Golden Triangle. Whilst in Bangkok, it is my partner's 32nd birthday and the following day is my 40th!! I would like to go somewhere for a special memorable meal for our birthdays and would like your suggestions. <BR><BR>Has anyone done the Loy Nava Rice Barge dinner and if so, roughly how much is it and is it good? Any other ideas greatly appreciated! Expect lots of other questions from me too in the coming three months!!

Returned from Bangkok two weeks ago and have the perfect evening for you. . . The Oriental HOtel in Bangkok is world renowned and an outstanding place. . . Get reservations for two at their restaurant called SALA RIM NAM. It is on the other side of the river from the Oriental, so you show up at the hotel and get the private shuttle to the other side. . .there you can eat outide along the river and enjoy excellent fine dining, or eat inside and enjoy the traditional Thai dancing show - also with an excellent menu.<BR><BR>Afterwards, take the private shuttle back to the ORiental and head to the Bamboo Bar. . .excellent Martini list, great jazz band, nice place to spend an evening. . neither dinner or the bar are cheap by Bangkok standards. . dinner for two with a bottle of wine $100-$110, two martinis each at the bar around $30. . . .enjoy!!!

The Loy Nava is highly recommended and is probably the oldest of the dinner cruises. It is smaller compared to other dinner boats, serving only 50-60 people, in an open air environment on a rice barge. You have a choice of meals,&nbsp;thai 1200 baht, seafood at 1500 and there is also a also vegetarian meal.&nbsp;At&nbsp;28-35us (including hotel pickup) this not a&nbsp;bad way to splurge for&nbsp;an evening. However be warned&nbsp;that you do not want&nbsp;to&nbsp;order a lot of drinks as they are&nbsp;fairly costly, cocktails 140 baht,&nbsp;beer 110 baht and soft&nbsp;drinks 60 baht. A bit more upscale but very good is the one by the Oriental hotel (every day except monday). It serves a gourmet buffet <BR>dinner consisting of both thai and western dishes. Cost is 1600 baht. You can check out the Nava web site at http://www.loynava.com/ or the Oriental at thrir hotel web site. <BR><BR>

Sala Rim Nam came to mind immediately, although I wouldn't go the outdoor route. The food at Sala Rim Nam is good but not great. It is still worth going because the show is excellent. I have heard rave reviews for the French restaurant in the Oriental, if you are looking for a change of pace from Thai food. I have not eaten there myself.

Scotters,<BR>Just read your post about cost of drinks. I think US $3.25 for a cocktail, US $2.50 for a beer and US $1.25 for a soda is quite reasonable and proportionate to the cost of the rest of the meal.

I also recommend Sala Rim Nam for a special evening. The food is good, but the show and atmosphere are better. You must check your shoes to enter. Agolini's at the Shangri-la is also very nice, although it serves Italian fare. The restaurant has some wonderful Italian and Austrialian wines, and the dining room overlooks the pool area, which is strung with tiny white lights-very romantic.

Thanks for your replies. I looked at the Loy Nava website earlier and I didn't think the price of the drinks was bad at all. The meal prices don't sound too bad either. <BR><BR>We will be staying at the Royal Orchid, so the Oriental would only be a short hop I think, however, it sounds like it may be a bit formal whereas I think I would prefer less formal and more unusual or interesting!?

Hi louise,<BR>We are also from the uk,we went to Bangkok last april[also going again this year].We went with kuoni,and booked through tour east for an evening dinner cruise[it was our 20th wedding annivesary].It was fantastic,we went on the pearl of siam,a beautiful cruiser,we sat on the top deck,and had a lovely buffet meal by candlelight.There was a singer and band playing,very romantic,and the temples were all lit up,really pretty.On the way back down the river we all had a few dances.It was one of the best nights of our hols,and we hope to do similar this year.Visit www.pearlofsiam.com Have a great time in Bangkok,<BR> sue

I HATE TO DISAGREE BUT I WOULD NOT GO TO SALA RIM FOR A &quot;SPECIAL OCCASION&quot;..i felt the food was only ok, not great...certainly you would get much better at their main restaurants in the hotel... the show is interesting and well done, but not for a &quot;special&quot; nite...go to one of the great restaurants: at the orinetal--lord jim or the normandie (very expensive)--remember ist a special nite...<BR><BR>we like jesters at the peninsula---very today with imaginery food...our dinner was 3460 baht in november, '02..we did not have a bottle of wine, just glasses...<BR><BR>less expensive but very good is Biscotti at the Regent hotel (wireless road i think, just off of sukumvit)--italien--elegant eating but not stuffy..very nice...consistently gets good marks--i think dinner is about $60.<BR>found lunch in our diary in 2000 for 1780 baht--2 beers probably..<BR><BR>i would choose any of these or any &quot;main&quot; dining room at one of the 5 star hotels over the oriental show and dinner for your special nite...go to the show another nite...i guess my bottom line is that i feel it is too commercial...sorry

I, too, would agree with the posters that Sala Rim Naam at the Oriental is not all that great. Although I didn't eat there, 2 weeks ago, my friends went to La Normandie (the Oriental's French restaurant) for lunch, not dinner, and RAVED about the food and the service. It is generally acknowledged as the best French restaurant in BKK-although personally, I like the idea of a good dinner cruise much better, simply because it's more interesting and romantic to cruise the river and see BKK's temples lit up at night from the water. On this same trip of mine 2 weeks ago, another couple I know did the MANOHRA converted rice barge dinner cruise, that is run by the Marriott Resort Hotel and Spa. They loved it, and found the food good, ambience terrific, and prices reasonable. You can check out the Marriott's website for more info. on this cruise. My vote would be for this option.

Thanks again for your replies. We like Italian food, so are thinking that a good italian might be nice. Also, the Marriott river cruise may be an option but for the latter part of our holiday, as initially we are staying at the Royal Orchid, then up to the north to Baan Boran and then when we come back we are staying at the Marriott Resort.<BR><BR>I have looked at Duilio's and La Buca, does anyone have any experience of either of these, or any more suggestions please!?

One more against Sala Rim Nam. It wasn't bad, just too touristy for us and not inexpensive. We had a lovely Thai dinner at the Royal Orchid.

If you want to go for Thai food, I have three recommendations: one is the Thai restaurant at the Royal Orchid - excellent food, wonderful service, a view of the river.<BR><BR>More unusual places outside of hotels? Try Harmonique (which is near the Royal Orchid) or Lemongrass which is over on Suhumvit. These are excellent Thai restaurants, located in old wooden houses. They have atmosphere and serve wonderful Thai food. They aren't expensive, but would provide memorabale meals.

You go to Sala Rim Nam for the Thai dancers, not for the food. There's more to Bangkok than looking for cheap souvenirs and seeing how LITTLE money you can spend. As Dorothy Parker said, &quot;You can lead a whore to culture but you can't make her think.&quot; <BR><BR>Caren, if you never have been to Sala Rim Nam than how can you disparage it? My assessment of you stands.

i'm back again with negetives....thanks for the support on the no to sala rim....go there to see the dancing another nite....<BR><BR>here is a completely different idea for a special and expensive nite....<BR><BR>take the manora song from the marriott, or they will stop for you at the oriental up river for their overnite cruise....you leave early afternoon from bkk and arrive up river in time to spend the nite aboard, tied up at a wat...they serve you a lovely candlelit dinner ---food is very good....in the morning after breakfast---also very delicious...you disembark and go into the wat to make &quot;merit&quot;...you have a private time with the head man and make your merit and then walk around for a while in the wat....you then embark again and head further north to the royal family's palace (i think they call it the summer palace)---your queen stayed there about 5 years ago on her thai trip....you leave the boat here and tour the palace grounds---very extensive and also the local wat where many young monks are trained...from there you take a &quot;long boat&quot; ride further up the river and eat at a riverside restaurant---good thai food...from there you take the boat to ayuattia (spelled wrong)---it is the ancient capital about 1 1/2 hours north of bkk via highway...you tour the ruins there and then are returned to bkk in the afternoon via limo...<BR>expensive---about $700. a couple, slightly less than 500 pounds..<BR><BR>I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THAT YOU WILL NEVER HAVE ANOTHER EXPERIENCE LIKE THIS...<BR><BR>the boat is excellent...4 staterooms---we were only 4 people when we took the trip...the staterooms are beautiful and comfortable...we had a large bed a tiny sitting area next to it and a small stairway down into the bowls of the boat to our private bathroom...all beautifully appointed...<BR>food was fabulous too...great service...there is a crew of about 5..<BR>this is the monora song<BR><BR>the monora mentioned above is nice but larger and less personal..<BR><BR>by going in the day you get to see much more...i don't think an evening cruise would allow you to see much and there is a lot to see on the river....make sure you spend some time on it, if only on the comutter boats...<BR>also i hear the food is not too good on any of the boats....there are lots of them...you can book that after you get there, but the monora song should be booked in advance....contact the hotel directly...the hotels's owners are The Royal Garden Resort group, owned by an american ex-pat...<BR>enjoy

Bob,
we are booked on Manhra cruise, 2 nights. I see you took it. How was the food? How were the guides? We look forward to it.
Sophia

I agree with Biscotti(Italian) in the Four Seasons hotel on Rajadamri Rd. I stay at that hotel and eat there daily and have never had a bad meal. Biscotti was voted the best Italian restaurant. As for Sala Rim, haven't been there, but a good Thai friend of mine who goes home to Thailand often,and who owns a quite famous Thai restaurant here where I live absolutely does not like Sala Rim. We discussed it one day while I was dining at her restaurant. I personally love Thanying Thai restaurant. There's one in the World Trade Center and a free standing one in an old Thai house which supposedly has great atmosphere...near the Saladang Sky Train stop I think. It's on the Nancy Chandler map...Nancychandler.org.I've only eaten at the one in the World Trade Center and the two in Singapore which were absolutely wonderful. Happy travels!

the food was very good and all cooked in the galley at the rear of the boat...it is served in a simple but lovely fashion...nothing beats sailing up that river, high up off the water, sitting out front on the deck in an easy chair, with the yellow flags ruffling in the breeze, with a cold drink in your hand...you may not feel like the king or queen, but certaily you feel like a prince or princess...maybe even the crown-prince and princess

Another vote for the Normandie on the top of the lovely Oriental Hotel.Great service and food...perfect for a special night. However there is nothing Thai about it if that is a consideration.It is like a top European restaurant anywhere with top service.If you want Thai think about Lemongrass or the nighttime up market buffet on the terrace of the Oriental overlooking the river ( a mixture of Thai and European food).You may prefer to go to an inside restaurant as April is Bangkok's most humid month.Enjoy your special night in this special city!

I have friends who go to Lemongrass regularly and absolutely love it. I tried going the last trip, but I guess missed the lunch hour and it was closed. Happy travels!